The Station Agent
... death of her son. Yet none of them know how to reach out for help. Throughout the film these three very different personalities find a way to connect and make room for each other in their lonely lives. It’s the kind of film that wins the hearts and minds of discerning audiences. I feel that one of the most important aspects McCarthy wanted to show through Fin is that not everyone who has been mercilessly taunted has the means to fight back. When Fin tries to stand up for Emily for instance, he is easily shoved aside. His defense mechanism kicks in to take him into isolation. The consequence of isolation in itself is the inability to handle unfriendly drama. It is therefore easy to see how such oppressions forge Fin's anti-social behavior, which in turn makes it difficult for him to connect with "normal" people. At the same time, the story makes the point that birds of a feather do flock together. Fin has less trouble connecting with similarly isolated people such as Olivia, Joe, Cleo and Emily. The trials of friendship with them help to change his perspective of his place in the world, leading him towards being a guest speaker in Cleo's class. Upon analyzing many scenes throughout this film, one of the most crucial takes place about 1 hour and 18 minutes into the film. Fin is leaving the bar after he makes the statement, “here I am, take a look.” It begins as he stumbles down on the train tracks as the train comes toward him. The camera angle used in this scene is one that dominates much of this film. Not so much because it is tilted upward, but because it is from his perspective. We see things as Fin sees them. After he leaves the bar upon partaking in one to many drinks, Fin stumbles along the train tracks. The camera movement portrays that by jerking from side to side when they cut to the shots from his eyes. This helped better describe actual state of mind he was in at the current time. Although the medium close-ups of his facial expressions tell us that he is very inebriated, the use of the hand held camera movement adds more detail to that. Fin eventually falls and lands on his backside. While laying on the train tracks a train is heard coming. Once again the camera angle is based on his view of the object. As he tilts his head back to look at it, we get an upside down view of the train coming towards him. It’s not until he rolls over that we see the normal view of an approaching train. The camera angles and movements proficiently add on to the scenes kinetic impact. The jerking movements add a greater affect than a still shot of Fin stumbling. The moving camera allows us to explore and move through the mediated space in the same way as the actor. The camera work to the film is an example of understated greatness. The dolly work is simply phenomenal. The mix of on and off-camera interaction within a moving frame is subtle, but adds an uncommon dynamic to many scenes. The cinematography offers delicate lighting, but more than that, it is particularly well- framed. Because this scene takes place at night the quantity of light needed was minimal. However, it is evident that the main source of light was coming from his right side as it reflects off of his face and hair. The actual key light may have been in the form actual lighting instruments, but it gives the impression that the source could have been the moonlight shining down or the street lights along the railroad track. The headlights from the train essentially becomes the main light during this scene. Everything begins dark as he stumbles, but the closer the train gets the brighter the scene becomes. As we get the illusion that the train is about to run him over, the shot fades in contrast to pure white. From there the shot fades into the morning scene where the main sure of light is that of the sun. Additionally, the lighting work for “The Station Agent” is well above par. The extensive use of natural light rather than stage lighting gives the film an uncommon warmth. It is also refreshing to see interior framing accomplished through lighting rather than the usual positioning of set pieces. This film is phenomenal and there really isn’t too much to it. I believe that is a key reason this film was considered well done. That being the simplicity of the film as a whole. During this film, not many scenes take place during outside while it’s dark outside. Because the cinematographer used grainy 16mm film to photograph "The Station Agent," resulted in a gauzy, unfocused look that fit into this scene and also contributes to the movie’s overall gentle tone. This scene in particular served as a turning point in the life of Fin. The lighting suggest that because of how the scene ended. What started off dark and gloomy, ended up being very bright. The physicality of the characters, their sizes, their dimensions, the space between them, the space around them was all very important. Because the director of photography wanted us to focus more on Fin himself, the depth of field was not great during this scene and thus the aperture was large. While he is in clear focus the area around him is blurred and this helps us focus on his facial expression during this scene. As a result it appears as if a telephoto lens was used to film this scene. Not only is the covered area narrow, but as he walks he seems to be going nowhere fast. “The Station Agent” was filmed in some wide open spaces. If they would have done big wide open shots, it would have felt like an extreme loss of quality. But as a result of them using the telephoto lens the film holds every detail and is beautiful. Ultimately it is the emotional life of the film that determines the visual quality. The Station Agent is filled with long, static shots. I don’t think you can saturate a visual quality until you understand what the emotions are and what is trying to be achieved in each scene. That is one reason why they really depended on the actors to tell the story. The pacing in this scene was limited and was not important at this particular time. Throughout the film however the pacing is relaxed and measured. The Station Agent distinguishes itself a bit by its calm, almost serene sense of pacing, allowing the viewer to read-between-the-lines and watch a movie that desires to not make too many ripples in the water, preferring instead to allow the character...